Rock County delegates at DNC

CHICAGO — At the Wisconsin delegation’s Democratic Nation Convention breakfast Monday, state party chair Ben Wikler declared that “we are at the center of the political universe.”

Two Rock County convention delegates said they could not agree more with Wikler’s assessment.

“Just look at the lineup of guests on the first morning of the convention,” said Shawn Reents of Janesville. “We are getting a lot of attention because we are the road to victory for the Harris/Walz team.”

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, the soon-to-be Democratic vice presidential candidate, addressed the Wisconsin delegates Monday.

“We saw 12,000 people at our event in Eau Claire on a hot day,” Walz said. “That’s what winning looks like.”

Garrik Harwick of Janesville said he was surprised at the list of speakers at the Wisconsin breakfast.

“The fact that Gov. Walz took time to be with us shows how important Wisconsin is,” Harwick said. “From what I’ve seen, Rock County won’t let the party down. We are energized like never before.”

Walz praised the effort Wisconsin Democrats have put into the Harris/Walz campaign.

“We’ve seen 42,529 volunteers sign up and we’ve made more than 6,000 phone calls,” Walz said. “You have showed up every day to provide the work that is necessary.”

Also at the Monday breakfast was U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who reviewed Wisconsin accomplishments, including a shout-out to Wisconsin Democratic U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin.

“Tammy Baldwin, is a leader in the Senate as shown by her work in making sure that the electronic chips are made in the U.S.,” Schumer said. “We need Tammy Baldwin in the Senate, and I’m sure you will send her back.”

Baldwin’s Republican opponent in November is Eric Hovde.

As Schumer walked off the stage, the delegates roared as he donned a cheese head hat.

“It was great to see this enthusiasm right off the bat,” Reents said. “It just shows how important Wisconsin is. It’s very important that national leaders come to keep us fired up.”

Harwick agreed that Wisconsin is now on the national stage. Local Democrats have responded to that attention, he said.

“I see a lot more excitement in the past couple of weeks,” Harwick said. “Of importance, I see a lot more young people getting engaged.”

Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers summed up the mood of the Wisconsin delegation when he said, “I’m jazzed as hell.”